


it's not over till you're underground

by michaelsc0fields



Series: we could be heroes [2]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012), DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)
Genre: AU, F/M, Sara is a villain, leonard is a vigilante, we could be heroes universe
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-03
Updated: 2016-08-24
Packaged: 2018-07-12 01:55:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,064
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7079878
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/michaelsc0fields/pseuds/michaelsc0fields
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"I can't believe you got a new nemesis."</p><p>"You were out of town!"</p><p>"Still. I thought I was more important to you than that."</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. it's not my burden

**Author's Note:**

> hello! welcome to sequel town! this fic is a sequel/continuation of [she sings the revolution](http://archiveofourown.org/works/6885283/chapters/15708451), my au where sara is a thief and leonard is her vigilante nemesis by night, but by day they are co-workers and friends who have no idea they are enemies.
> 
> updates on this fic will unfortunately not be as fast as they were on the first instalment - as i mentioned in my author's note for 'through a silver storm', i'm starting my final term of college so it's a crazy busy time right now. but updates will happen!! just more like one a week rather than every three days. bare with me?
> 
> much love as always and hopefully you enjoy!

Central City, August 2014

“We meet again.” The Canary crooned, her legs swinging underneath her. She was perched on a beam high above him and he aimed the cold gun up at her even though he knew its blast would not be able to reach her when she was so high up. “I’d almost think you were keeping tabs on me, Cold.”

Leonard thought briefly to the police scanner in the lair and tilted his head underneath the furred hood. “Something like that.” He conceded. “You going to come down?”

The Canary laughed, a pretty lilting sound that floated through the air to him. “I think it would be much more fun to see you come up.” She teased.

Leonard huffed. “You’ve got stolen goods from the museum. I can’t let you get away with that.”

“’Let me’?” She tipped backwards off the beam, her arms catching it as she swung. Gracefully, she hooked herself down a pipe and slid to the ground, landing silently in front of Leonard. “I think ‘try and fail to stop me’ might be more accurate.”

He narrowed his eyes behind his goggles, realigning the gun so it was pointed at her once again. “Where is the diamond, Canary?”

Behind her white mask, her eyes sparkled with mirth. This was all a game to her, he realised. She either didn’t realise the depth of the situation, or found it too amusing to care. He bristled; he hated people taking advantage of his city with barely a care in the world. 

The Canary smirked and took a step back, lifting her arms out so they stretched horizontally away from her. “Why don’t you search me?” She suggested, flirtatiously.

He growled. “I don’t have time for this.”

“Aw,” She pouted. “You’re no fun tonight.” She sighed loudly, theatrically, dropping her arms to her sides. “Fine. Have it your way.”

The gun flew out of his hand as her foot connected with it, skittering across the concrete of the warehouse floor. He barely had time to react before the flat of her hand connected to the side of his head making his ears ring despite some of the force being absorbed by his hood. He staggered to the side and she took advantage of his disorientation to sweep his legs out from under him, the wind rushing out of his lungs as he hit the floor with a grunt.

By the time he had managed to pull himself up to a crouch, she was almost out of the door. She stopped to glance over her shoulder at him, smiling.

“Bye, Cold.” She teased, blowing him a kiss. 

He groaned.

-

“Len? Len?” Sara frowned and snapped her fingers in front of his nose, making him jump out of his skin. “Leonard!”

“Jesus, Sara, what?” He snapped, frowning as he tapped against his ear. His hearing was fuzzy after the Canary’s beat down last night and it had put him in a terrible grump.

“All right…” Sara basked up defensively from where she had been leaning over his desk. “I’ve been saying your name for the last five minutes.”

He shook his head. “Sorry. I’m a bit… out of it today.”

She raised her eyebrows. “Yeah, you’re telling me.”

He softened. “Sorry, Sara.” He said, more genuinely this time. He ran his hands down his face then shook himself out of it. “What’s up?”

Sara shrugged. “Well, I was going to ask if you wanted a coffee, but since you’re being such an ass…” He fixed her with a look and she grinned back. “Cappuccino over ice, coming right up.”

-

Central City, November 2016

“What are you doing here?” Leonard hissed, hooking his hand around Sara’s elbow as they left Felicity’s office slightly in front of their bosses. She shifted the tablet in her hands as he pulled her to the side, her eyes darting back to where Oliver was shaking Felicity’s hand and saying something that made the blonde blush and giggle.

She glared at him and pulled her arm free. “Overseeing a deal between Smoak Industries and Queen Consolidated.” She whispered back. “Or were you not listening during our meeting?”

“What are you two whispering about?” Felicity asked brightly form behind them and they both whirled round with matching innocent smiles.

“Just winding Len up about his attention span,” Sara replied jovially, sharing one of those ‘men – what can you do?’ smiles with her former boss. Leonard shifted uncomfortably; he recognised that look as one that had passed between Sara and his sister many times during their friendship. 

Felicity laughed and took hold of Sara’s free hand. “It’s going to be really nice working with you again.” She told her, her naturally genuine nature coming through as she squeezed Sara’s hand. “Smoak Industries has missed you – heck, I’ve missed you and I’ll bet Leonard has too.” She nudged Leonard with her hip teasingly and he rolled his eyes.

“Sure.” He conceded, knowing his normal sarcastic tone wouldn’t seem out of odds here. The problem was, he had missed her. Terribly so, actually. Even the move to a bigger office on a different floor didn’t make her absence in his working life any less noticeable; and his evening activities felt hollow when they were void of white leather and blonde hair. Sure, the Flash kept them on their toes almost weekly with his quickly plotted and executed schemes but it wasn’t the same as their run ins with the Canary. He could barely remember the time before her, even though there had been one.

His stomach flipped as he caught himself; he shouldn’t be thinking of Sara and her Canary persona with wistful nostalgia. This was a woman who had terrorized the city, stolen from it, beat him, Lisa and Mick down multiple times and even threatened Cisco, their harmless tech support. But something in him was still drawn to her and he knew that whatever was happening was going to land them in a whole world of trouble.

Leonard noticed Sara’s face fall when Felicity turned away and narrowed his eyes. She almost looked guilty as she watched her former boss go over some details with her new one. She stiffened, her eyes flicking to find Leonard watching her and she quickly rearranged her face into a more neutral expression. It was too late though – he knew there was more going on than initially met the eye if she looked so torn up over a simple compliment from a former boss.

“Sara.” Oliver’s voice was soft, but his eyes were full of an expression that Leonard couldn’t read. Clearly, Sara knew what it meant though as she walked over to his side. There was something intimate in the way he leaned down to murmur instructions in her ear, more than an employer-employee relationship. Leonard’s gaze darkened as Sara nodded and began swiping on her tablet. 

Felicity motioned Leonard over. “We want the best out of this deal, Leonard.” She whispered to him. “But we don’t want anyone else getting their hands on… our little project being overseen by Mr Ramon. That is Smoak Industries only, but I have a feeling Mr Queen will be a little more than interested in it.” She gave him a meaningful look. “Men always want what they’re not allowed, am I right?”

Leonard glanced across at Sara, eyes narrowing at Oliver’s hand on her hip. “Unfortunately, you are.” He agreed.

“We don’t want any competition in this field and if Queen Consolidated gets their hands on our plans, they could go and develop some of their own.” Felicity rushed as Oliver and Sara finished up their conversation. 

“Mr Snart.” Sara’s voice called to him, businesslike. She offered the tablet to him. “If you could just sign this form establishing you as Miss Smoak’s second in command and our port of call if we can’t get in contact with her.”

Felicity nodded encouragingly when Leonard glanced at her. He took the stylus Sara offered out, meeting her gaze evenly. He was surprised to see how intently she was watching him; the last time she had looked at him like that, she had ended up kissing him and disappearing into the night.

He reached over to sign the electronic form and paused. There was no paperwork, just the stark white screen with four words printed over it.

I need your help.

“Everything alright, Mr Snart?” Oliver Queen asked, his eyebrows raised expectantly.

“Peachy.” Leonard quipped. Sara reached up and swiped to the left, the message disappearing and being replaced by a legal contract by the time Oliver glanced her shoulder. Leonard scrawled his signature under the watchful eye of them both.

“Great.” Oliver clapped his hand down on Sara’s shoulder, and she smiled up at him warmly. From his close proximity, Leonard could see it was fake. “We had better get back to the hotel and call the board to let them know we’re all set up here.”

Sara nodded and folded the cover over the tablet as Oliver made his goodbyes. “Miss Smoak – Felicity.” She shook the blonde’s hand, then held hers out to Leonard. “Leonard?”

He could hear the question in her voice. If Sara needed help, it could only be bad news. Part of him wanted to indulge, hear what she had to say and try assist if he could, but the other part was hesitant. Cisco had only just stopped flinching when the basement door slammed. Lisa still refused to acknowledge Sara had ever been a part of her life, packing up those memories the day she had seen her former friend’s office empty. Sara had once been important to him, but family always would be. Besides, he couldn’t trust her; she had lied for two years, pretending to just be any other normal person, while every night she had slipped out to steal and rob from the city. Even when he briefly trusted her that night they caught her, she still ended up holding a gun to Cisco; everything she did had a double meaning, even the kiss they had shared. The more he played it over in his head (and he had, over and over the days after she disappeared), the more he saw the signs – getting his anger up so his guard would be down, going in for a second kiss when the first didn’t do the trick. It might have been his suggestion that she distract him, but he hadn’t expected her to use his feelings against him. Well, it wasn’t happening again.

He took her hand, catching her eye. “Miss Lance.” He said firmly, with an imperceptible shake of his head. No. 

Sara’s lips parted in surprise. For a moment, her face fell and her eyes clouded over with an expression Leonard couldn’t put his finger on. Then it was gone, the professional mask sliding down as she nodded.

“It was nice to see you again.” She half smiled, disappointment clear in her eyes. Oliver put a hand on the small of her back and led her to the end of the corridor. When she glanced over her shoulder at him, Leonard pointedly averted his gaze, staring at the wall. 

It was then that he realised what the look in her eyes was. Fear.

-

Lisa was worried about him. He could tell. He’d been stony, storming through the lair and getting changed without a word to either her or Mick. Seeing Sara had rattled him, but he can’t tell them that. He didn't want to keep it from them, but he knew Lisa would be all for going after her and he didn't think he could stomach that just yet.

“The Flash is hitting up Central City Bank.” Mick said shortly when he cameout, goggles around his neck and cold gun strapped to his leg.

“Then let’s go.”

Inside the bank, the Flash seemed to be expecting them. He looked almost bored behind the red hood that covers the top half of his face. “Cold, Gold and Heat.” He sneered. “The whole posse is here!” 

“Give it up, Flash!” Mick growled, his gun pulsing as he charged it up. Lisa narrowed her eyes and angled her gun so her aim was squarely between the Flash’s eyes.

“You're not the only one with friends.” He jeered. On cue, a dark figure falls from above them, landing gracefully and rolling to her feet. The silhouette is lithe and feminine, clad in black with long blonde hair falling down her back. She stepped up beside the Flash and turned to face them.

Leonard’s blood ran cold as he heard Lisa gasp beside him. Mick swore and fired right at the pair, although the Flash moved quickly out the way. The woman rolled her eyes and catches his hand with a sharp kick, following it up by grabbing his wrist and twisting, dropping him to his knees with a grunt as she relieved him of his gun.

The Flash watched appreciatively. “Canary.”

“Flash.” Sara smirked, familiar blue eyes glinting behind a new black mask. She raised Mick’s gun and pointed it squarely at Leonard. “I see you’ve met my friends.”


	2. the underbelly stacks up ten high

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello! sorry it's been longer than usual, but i had a show and an exam with college... only one more to go now, so to celebrate, have chapter 2! hope you enjoy and as always please leave your thoughts :)

Central City, June 2016

Leonard growled as he wrestled against the bonds around his wrists.

"Sorry, Captain." The red dressed thief grinned down at his captive. "But you really are getting in my way. And I like to handle my jobs fast."

The police scanner had lit up with a report that the museum had been broken into (again), and since it had been fairly quiet since Sa- since the Canary had skipped town, Leonard had decided to take it on himself, waving off Lisa and Mick's concerns. He'd ordered them both to go and get some rest, since it was past midnight when the call came in, ignoring them as he went to get his bike. He felt like he had something to prove since the Canary had slipped through his grasp - this new player in the game could be his way to prove he still had the authority to take villains and thieves down.

Instead, he was propped up against a lovely display of Roman ruins, his ankles and hands tied together as some cocky kid paced before him, sending taunts his way.

"You know, when the Green Arrow suggested I start targeting Central, I was initially hesitant. I'd heard of your little gang, that no one has ever escaped from Captain Cold and his merry band... Except, of course, the Ca-"

"Do you ever shut up?" Leonard snapped. "...You know the Green Arrow?"

A smirk lifted up the corner of the thief's mouth beneath his red cowl. "Oh yes, he and I are good friends." Sirens wailed outside the museum before Leonard could ask further. "Huh. That's my cue." He offered Leonard a mocking salute. "Later, Captain."

He disappeared out of the room at an impressive speed. Leonard let out a sigh, his head dropping back and hitting the cabinet behind him with a dull thud.

-

Central City, November 2016

If someone walked in on this scene, they would be hard pressed to figure out who was more angry out of three vigilantes as they all glared Sara down. Lisa’s face was furious, the picture of a woman pissed while Mick was fuming over someone else handling his gun. Leonard looked angry, but there was also a flicker of disappointment in his expression; after seeing her look scared earlier, he had actually believed she wanted his help for something worthy or to aid her in a bad situation, that maybe she had changed. Yet, here she was, aiming Mick’s flame thrower at them.

“I’m so glad you got into contact with me.” The Flash looked like he could barely believe his luck; sure, he usually escaped from these three easily, but this woman had brought them all to their knees with a few simple moves. He was impressed to say the least.

Sara flicked her hair over her shoulder; Leonard hated that he noted it was longer than it used to be. “You’re welcome.”

“I must say, I was surprised when the Canary offered me assistance tonight.” The Flash circled her. “I thought you were exclusively the Green Arrow’s girl. And I know from experience he doesn't like to share - doesn't even like a friend partaking in a little 'borrowing' in a city he considers his own.”

Sara batted her eyelashes at him and Leonard felt sick. “I’m an independent contractor, professionally. I choose who I work with.” She charged up the heat gun, half directing her words at Leonard now. “My private relationship with the Arrow is a whole different situation.” 

“Ugh.” Lisa groaned beside him, echoing his sentiments entirely.

Sara wheeled back round. “Gold.” She greeted Lisa individually for the first time. 

“Canary.” Lisa scowled. “You got a makeover.” She gave Sara a disdainful onceover.

Sara smirked. “You like it?”

“No.” Lisa said petulantly, although she couldn’t help but be a little jealous of how well she pulled off the new black leather look. “Same bitch underneath.”

The Flash snickered next to her. Sara’s eyes flickered unsurely for a moment, before she let out a deep breath. 

“I’m going to let that one slide.” She said evenly, before directing her attention to The Flash, who was watching the entire exchange with a gleeful glint in his eye. He looked slightly put out that there wasn’t about to be a catfight, but lit back up when she addressed him. “How’d you like your meat, Flashy? Medium or chargrilled?” She gave the trigger an experimental squeeze, a short burst of flame spurting out and dying just inches away from Leonard’s face.

The Flash smirked. “Oh, definitely chargrilled.” He matched her teasing tone.

“Chargrilled it is.” Sara caught Leonard’s eye and winked at him. He didn’t have time to decipher what that meant before she swung the gun round to aim squarely at the Flash’s feet; she pulled the trigger more confidently this time, a large flame roaring out of the barrel and licking around the leather of his shoes. He jumped into the air with a howl of pain and Sara tossed the gun to the floor (Mick let out a whimper) as she caught him round the neck with her hand.

“Can’t run so fast now, can you?” She used her free hand to punch him square in the nose, sending him staggering back. If not for her hand wrapped round his throat, between the disorientation and his rapidly blistering feet, he probably would have fallen.

Sara pulled back the hood to a show a dazed young man with dark hair. “Barry Allen.” She teased. “Aren’t you out a little past your bedtime.” 

“The Arrow will be hearing about this.” Allen grunted through his bloody nose.

Sara’s face went pale beneath her black mask, the pink colour from the fight and the heat of the fire draining at his words. She pushed at him, letting go of his neck so he grunted in pain as he tried to keep up right on his burnt feet. She swung for him again, catching the underneath of his jaw with an awful cracking sound. 

“Sara!” Leonard’s voice rang out without his consent; he knew she had probably caused harm to others in the past, but he knew that if he watched her kill someone she could never be redeemed for him. He couldn’t believe he was still holding on to the hope that the real Sara Lance, his Sara, his friend, was underneath the Canary persona, but if he saw her murder then Sara would be lost forever to the criminal she sometimes was.

Sara let out a shaky breath, hand trembling as it held the knife to Allen’s throat. His eyes were glazed as he watched her with a fearful expression – this was clearly not the Canary he thought he’d be dealing with tonight.

“The Arrow will not be hearing of this.” Sara elbowed him in the face and he sank down, unconscious. “Well.” She turned back to face the three vigilantes behind her, sliding the knife back into her belt as though nothing had happened. “It would seem you owe me.”

For three very different people, their shared look of pure shock was identical. It was actually quite comical, Sara mused, to see them so silent. It took a lot to surprise the vigilantes – she should know, as someone who constantly had to work around them and try keep them on their toes. She scooped up the heat gun and offered it out to Mick. 

“Sorry about that.” She apologised without a trace of sincerity. 

Mick snatched the gun and cradled it to his chest, checking over the barrel to check there wasn’t any damage done. The Snart siblings continued to look shocked, although Leonard’s eyes had travelled to Allen’s unconscious form. If he hadn’t shouted, would she have stopped? And why did the Arrow’s involvement cause her to lash out? The cogs started turning in his head.

Sara sighed. “Well… you’re welcome.” She finally huffed.

“No one thanked you.” Lisa said suddenly. “You almost killed him!”

Sara blinked. “But I didn’t.” She pointed out, as though talking to a kindergartener. An alarm chirped at her wrist and her eyes widened to an almost panicked look before she pushed the expression off her face. “Look, just meet me at the docks tomorrow night. I’ll explain everything there.”

“No. You can explain everything now, starting with what the hell you are doing here?” Lisa demanded.

“I don’t have time.” Sara slid back one of her sleeves and glanced at her watch. She looked directly at Leonard. “He’s going to notice that I’m gone.” She said deliberately, her gaze pleading with him to understand. Leonard narrowed his eyes; she was obviously referring to Oliver Queen, but why she seemed so nervous that he would find out she was missing was lost to him… Unless…

“Who is going to- Lenny, do you have a clue what she’s talking about?” Lisa exasperatedly. 

“Yes.” Leonard said shortly, not taking his eyes off Sara. “Go.” He nodded.

Her face softened, her gaze almost fond as a smile wavered at her lips. “Please come tomorrow.”

He kept his face blank, refusing to make any promises. “Go.” He repeated.

Sara nodded, turning on her heel and running for the door. Mick looked ready to head after her just for touching his gun alone, but held off after a glance at Leonard.

“What the hell, Len?” Lisa demanded, looking for a moment like she was going to take off after Sara. Leonard put a hand on her shoulder to stop her.

“I’ll tell you everything, I promise.” Not that he knew much, just the bits he had pieced together. Sara’s sudden reappearance, her quick reaction when her boss tried to see her note for help, panic at the thought of the Arrow finding out what she had been up to, the intimacy Oliver had shown towards her along with the previous remark about her personal relationship to the Arrow… He pushed it from his mind, storing it away to examine later. He nudged Allen’s unconscious body with his foot. “But first we need to pay a call into the police station.”

-

“You knew Sara was back in the city and you didn’t think to tell us?” Lisa demanded, slamming her hand down on the desk in front of her.

They had dropped The Flash off at the police station, still unconscious. They hadn’t gone in, just dropped him at the door and called one of the officers they were friendly with to let them know they had an unexpected delivery.

Leonard sighed, running a hand down his face. “She was at work today. Her new boss is making a deal with Felicity. Oliver Queen.” The name left a bad taste in his mouth as he recalled the man's hand gripping Sara's waist and her gaze boring into his as she asked for his help.

Mick grunted from his position in front of the computers. “Why would she come back to the city, let alone Smoak Industries?”

“I don’t know, Mick, but she-“ 

“Yeah! I thought we were ‘never going to see her again’?” Lisa cut in.

“Well, clearly that’s what she thought-“

“And she wants our help!” Lisa fumed, slamming her hand on the desk. Mick slid his coffee cup out of her way silently, already prepared for this kind of situation. “Our help! After all she did!” She smacked the desk again, harder this time with a growl. She let out a heavy breath and cradled her hand to her chest with a wince.

Silence settled around the lair as everyone took in Lisa’s outburst.

“You didn’t see her face, Lisa. She looked scared.” Leonard said quietly.

She stared at him, unsympathetic. “You know who else was scared? Cisco, when she held a gun to him. The Flash when she almost slit his throat.” Lisa pointed out, deadly calm after her small fit of rage. “She’s dangerous, Len. And I won’t help her. I won’t.” She turned on her heel and stormed out. In the silence that followed, they could hear her bike rev and drive off.

“Mick?” Leonard prompted.

His friend, always of so few words, regarded him seriously. “See what she says. Then we’ll see.” Leonard nodded, but Mick spoke again before he could leave. “But Len – I don’t like this. Make sure you know what you’re getting into.”

Leonard took a deep breath.

-

The next evening, Leonard tucked himself into the corner of the docks, shadows falling across his face as his sharp eyes took careful analysis of his surroundings. He still wasn’t one hundred per cent sold on Sara’s offer, but he certainly couldn’t imagine himself turning her down a second time. He was constantly fighting his own mind – one half of him was reminding himself of all the problems the Canary had caused, but the other half knew how rare it was for Sara Lance to show her vulnerable side. Over the two years or so they had worked together, he had seen her cry only a handful of times and even then she didn’t approach him for help or comfort and barely even accepted more than a pat on the shoulder and a coffee when he tried to offer it. He needed more information before he could decide whether he trusted her cause or not.

Despite keeping a wary eye on the docks around him, Sara still managed to surprise him.

She dropped from above, obviously having been prowling across the tops of the storage units before she appeared before him. He tried not to flinch, schooling his features as she straightened up in front of him.

“You came.” She said, her surprise blatant in her voice, her eyes glowing behind the new black mask.

“Well.” Leonard shifted uncomfortably. “You asked.”

Sara nodded. “Follow me.” 

She leapt at the side of one of the storage units, her boots gripping as she lengthened and reached for the top. She clambered gracefully onto the roof, landing in a crouch. She surveyed the area from her vantage point then held her arm out to offer Leonard for a boost up. He stared up at her, raising a single eyebrow, then glanced back down at his jeans and parka – a big departure from her skin tight leather.

She huffed. “Fine.” She flipped off the roof and landed next to him silently. “We’ll go the boring way.”

She led him through a twisted maze of boating equipment and storage units, slipping past a chain-link metal fence to a rundown building that stood at the edge of the docks. She paused as they approached a large metal door melded into the old brick work, a numerical keypad set up next to it.

“No Lisa?” Sara asked nonchalantly.

“She was busy.” Leonard drawled out slowly, watching her expression carefully for any sign of a reaction. “Sends her apologies.”

“Right.” Sara’s face flickered momentarily, but she didn’t give anything away. “Well, her loss.” She punched a code into the pad by the doorway and the door juddered open. “You showed me your lair.” She pushed through, glancing back over her shoulder at him flirtatiously. “Let me show you mine.”


	3. a flunkie along for the ride

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> COLLEGE IS OVER, I HAVE A FEW DAYS BEFORE WORK STARTS, HAVE FIC! (sorry for the wait)

Star City, September 2013

“I don’t believe those belong to you.” A heavily modulated voice rippled through the air and Sara gasped, almost dropping the pair of diamonds she had been weighing up. She whirled around, already shifting them over to one hand as the other reached for her bo staff.

“The Green Arrow.” She gasped out. “I thought you were a myth…”

The man stepped out from the shadows, bow trained on her. His arms were muscular beneath the strips of dark green leather that wrapped around them, leather that ran across his broad shoulders and clung tightly to his toned body. Sara swallowed and not out of fear.

“The Canary.” He noted, lowering the arrow notched in her direction. “I’ve been following your work?”

She felt more than a little flustered. “Really?” She said, wincing a little at how girlish her voice sounded. “I mean… thanks?”

The modulated voice let out a low chuckle. “You’re good. Not great, but good.”

“Oh. Well. Thanks.” Sara bit out, both offended and honoured. 

“You could be great.” The Green Arrow continued. “I could help you be great.”

Sara’s jaw dropped. “Really? How- I mean, what…?” She trailed off.

“I could train you. Teach you the tricks of the trade. Help you plan your heists a little more smoothly.” He offered, taking a step towards her with each proposition until they were stood staring at each other from behind their respective masks, only inches apart.

Sara looked up at him suspiciously. “And what would you get out of it?”

The Arrow smirked. Sara’s stomach fluttered. “We all need a helping hand.” He pointed out. “I’ll help you with your jobs, you help me with mine. Sometimes I need a partner to be a distraction and, well, excuse my forwardness but you are very distracting.” His eyes ran over her body.

Sara swallowed. The Green Arrow lifted a broken arrowhead and held it out to her. She took it gingerly, avoiding the sharp point. 

“If you want to talk, leave this somewhere I’ll find it. And I will find you.” He instructed, then just as suddenly as he came, he was gone.

Sara let out a shaky breath. She had sworn that she would stop doing this when Dad died, but the funeral costs were not easy to cover, not to mention she wouldn’t get much in his will since he left this world with next to nothing… She turned the arrowhead over in her fingers, thoughtfully, before slipping it into one of the pouches usually reserved for knives around her waist.

The next morning, it was stuck into the brickwork outside of Star City National Bank.

The next evening, Oliver Queen showed up at her tiny box of an apartment and changed her life forever.

-

Star City, June 2016

“Oliver, you really didn’t have to go to all this trouble…” Sara awkwardly shifted in her chair, idly playing with the rows of cutlery laid out before her. The restaurant was high class, somewhere Oliver was used to but she certainly wasn’t. Even when they had dated, it was mostly their vigilante personas that were romantically attached – she was a nobody on the social ladder, so Oliver Queen couldn’t be seen multiple times with her. Therefore, big dates were normally out of the question and their relationship had mostly been conducted in the Foundry, on the streets and her tiny apartment.

“I wanted to. To celebrate your return.” Oliver smiled smoothly, raising his glass in a toast to her. He softened a little. “I really did miss you, you know.”  
Sara clinked her glass to his and took a small sip; she wanted to down the wine in one, but knew she needed a clear mind. If Oliver was going to all this trouble, he wanted something from her, something she wasn’t sure she could offer anymore. Romantically and professionally, she was unavailable to him thanks to a certain vigilante she left behind in Central City.

“How’s Thea?” She asked after a moment, trying to direct the topic away from her as quickly as she could.

“She’s fine. Still wants to get in on the job.” Oliver shook his head with a regretful chuckle.

Sara smiled, remembering the younger Queen fondly. Thea knew of her brother’s evening activities, including Sara, and had been begging to be trained too. She had always been an adrenaline junkie.

“And you still say no, right?” Sara checked.

“Of course! She’s too young to get caught up in all this just yet. We need to wait until she’s older, less hot-tempered.” Oliver conceded. “Maybe in a few years, she can join the family business.”

Sara knew he wasn’t referring to Queen Consolidated. “I don’t think you should let in at all.” She said in an unexpected burst of honesty. Oliver lowered his glass to raise an eyebrow at her. She swallowed, knowing she’d have to elaborate now. “I don’t think… I don’t think this life is for everyone.”

Oliver set his glass down and gave her a hard look. “But it is for you?”

Sara froze. “Oliver…”

He smirked, leaning back in his chair and giving her a look that made her skin crawl. “No, no. I see. IT was just as I thought.” He folded his hands together. “You’ve gone soft.”

Sara opened her mouth to deny it, but then realised she had no desire to. Any fire she once had for a life of crime had died as though shot with the cold gun. 

Oliver considered her. “You’ve gone soft because of those Central City vigilantes.” He announced. “What?” He continued lazily when her jaw dropped. “You think I didn’t keep tabs on you when you left Star City? Please, Sara, you offend me. You were doing well, I was actually impressed, until the little vigilante gang got in your way. Especially that Captain Cold.” He leaned across the table, fixing her with a dark look. “Or should I say, Leonard Snart?”

Fury boiled up in Sara. “Don’t you dare go near them.” She hissed, keeping her voice down so as not to attract attention in the swanky restaurant.

Oliver’s eyes lit up, elated that his assumption had been proved right. The leap from her colleague and his sister to the vigilante brother-sister squad hadn’t been too challenging – he had known before Sara herself, but felt that it would be too fun to watch it play out. 

“Oh I won’t… Sara, I love you. I wouldn’t do anything that would hurt you.” He promised, lifting his glass to his lips again. “As long as you agree to help me with one little job…”

-

Central City, November 2016

“I feel like I should mention that I never actually showed you my lair intentionally. You broke out and held my techie at gunpoint.” Leonard commented as he gazed around Sara’s hidewaway. It was a warehouse with tall ceilings, various ropes and silks hanging down perfect for climbing practice. The walls were lined with glass cases filled with weapons – mostly knives and different varieties of staffs and batons, although he did catch a glimpse of a couple of guns and even a bow and set of arrows.

“I’m never going to live that down, am I?” Sara teased, although there was hint of heaviness in her tone. Regret, Leonard thought. No, not regret. Don’t be sympathetic. She never was.

Instead of snarking back, he glanced around thoughtfully. “How did you afford this?”

Sara hesitated. “The Green Arrow gave me some money to use until I got on my feet here in Central. This was the first thing I bought, after finding an apartment. It’s abandoned; the fence keeps most people out and the keypad the rest.”

Leonard let out a low whistle as he examined the array of knives displayed in one of the cabinets. “Wow. The Queen family fortune really is spent in a lot of dirty corners.” He turned back to see Sara’s shocked expression. “I mean; Oliver Queen is the Green Arrow right? It wasn’t that big a leap of imagination, Sara.”

Sara shook her head. “Yeah, I guess…” She swallowed. “I was going to tell you.”

Leonard scoffed. “Sure.”

“No, really I was.” She insisted, crossing to take hold of his arm and subsequently sending tingles to the tips of his fingers at her touch. “That’s why I asked you to come here. I… I wanted to explain. Everything. And then… I need your help.” She looked up at him with worried eyes and he felt his stomach plummet at his immediate desire to protect her. 

No! he yelled internally. He came here for the facts, not to be guilt tripped into what could very much be a scheme. She might only be willing to tell him about Oliver to gain his trust, get him on side before she pulled the rug from beneath him once again. 

Sara sighed. “You have every right not to trust me.” She said, releasing his arm sadly and using her now free hand to take off her mask so he could see the honesty in her eyes. “You and Lisa. Hell, even Mick is completely justified in hating me. But I promise, Leonard, I wouldn’t be here if I could handle it myself. I wouldn’t ask any of you if I could help it – it’s completely unfair of me to even do it now, I never wanted this. I just wanted to leave you alone so you could all live your lives without me and my drama.” She started to get a bit tearful. “But Leonard – I’m scared.” She admitted, swiping at her eyes.

Leonard’s gut tugged uncomfortably at the urge to hug her. They’d never been very touchy-feely; he normally hated affection, especially in the work place, which hadn’t stopped her from touching his shoulder or his arm, but had ruled out hugs. Even when he became fond of her, considering her someone he actually would want to hold and touch and squeeze, the rule had already been in place for too long. Now, however, the thing that stopped him from comforting her in the way he wanted to was the reminder that she was technically his enemy until proven otherwise.

“Why did you help the Flash?” He asked instead.

Sara blinked. “I didn’t.” She reminded him. “I just wanted to get him out of your way. And to make sure I had your full attention.” She quirked an eyebrow at him, watery eyes drying. “I can't believe you got a new nemesis."

Leonard stared at her, incredulous of her sudden change of tone. "You were out of town!"

"Still. I thought I was more important to you than that." She smirked, tilting her head to the side flirtatiously. “Did you kiss Allen? Was he better than me?”

Leonard took a step back. “Sara. Don’t.” He said quietly, avoiding her eyes. 

She sobered up. “Sorry. That was unfair.” She laughed ruefully. “I don’t really know how to handle this situation. And that’s not something I’m used to.” She reached out for him again. “Leonard… about that night… about that kiss-“

He shook his head. “I told you to distract me. You did.” He said flatly.

Sara pushed forward. “I know you think I used your feelings against you.” She met his surprised eyes. “But I didn’t, Leonard.” He was backed up against the knife cabinet now, eyes darting to see how he could duck away, but Sara caught his gaze levelly. Her expression was regretful, there was no mistaking it, with a dash of hope flickering in the slight smile she offered him. Her hand gently wrapped around his wrist, just like it had that night when he’d unlocked her handcuffs. His breath caught at the soft look in her eyes. “If anything… I couldn’t leave without knowing what it felt like to kiss you. And you were never great at taking the initiative at work.” She admitted, rising onto her toes so her breath fanned across his lips. “I’d never have forgiven myself if I hadn’t.”

“Sara…” He began, trying to inject some warning into his tone but failing miserably as it came out in a wistful sigh.

“I’m sorry, Leonard.” She whispered, her nose brushing against his. Her hair tickled his cheek, the familiar fruity smell of her shampoo washing over him and making him take a deep breath against his better judgement. It was a smell that was entwined so deeply with her, a faded memory suddenly bursting back to life. Sara looked up at him through her lashes, lips ghosting over his as she spoke. “Forgive me?”

The glass behind Leonard shattered as a lump of molten gold smashed through it. Leonard ducked, tucking Sara into his chest to shield her from most of the shards, which bounced off his reinforced parka. His hand immediately flew to his gun as he scanned the room for his assailant, finding her stood at the entrance to Sara’s lair. He stared at the open doorway.

“Lisa! What the hell?” He yelled, as Sara shook glass out of her hair and pulled away from him.

His younger sister was glaring at the pair of them with a face like thunder, gun still trained on Sara. “You’re lucky I didn’t aim where I actually wanted to.” She bit out, speaking to Leonard as her gaze transferred to a surprisingly pink-faced Sara. “Good job I watched you put in that code, huh?”

“You followed me? Me what happened to not being a part of this?” Leonard demanded, stalking towards her and blocking the aim of her gun.

“You think I’d really trust you with the bitch who threatened my boyfriend?”

“I thought you’d trust me to make the right choice-“

“Oh is that what you were doing when you were making out with the enemy?”

“We were not-!”

“Is that how people pass on information these days, because last time I checked most people needed their mouths for talking not-“

“That is enough-“

“I thought you were just getting information about what we’re dealing with-“

“I am!”

“So what are we dealing with?” Lisa demanded, her voice raised to a shout from the exertion of their argument.

“Oliver Queen is the Green Arrow and he’s threatened to share your identities if I don’t help him steal a device being designed by Cisco Ramon at Smoak Industries.” Sara announced in a rush, cutting into their argument with her eyes lowered, looking uncomfortable and small. “And once he’s told the world who you all are he’s going to hunt you down and kill you. Don’t think you can hide from him.” She shook her head. “I tried to and now look where I am.”

“Oliver Queen is the Green Arrow?” Lisa asked, slowly picking her way through all the information that had just been presented before her. “So he’s not in Central to start a Sara Lance’s Exes Club with Lenny?”

“Hey!” Leonard recoiled.

“You deserved that. I saw you when I came in.” She hissed under her breath. 

“Lisa…”

“No.” Sara ignored their exchange. “He wants a device Cisco created. In the right hands, Felicity and the government’s hands, it could be the miracle needed to track down dirty politicians and cops. She’s working on it for a company called ARGUS. One of their operatives, Walter Steele, developed a list of corrupt people in power but had to encrypt it when he was caught. It fell into the hands of Agent Lyla Michaels who was an old friend of Felicity’s and knew her company could be trusted to decode it. That’s why Felicity hired Cisco six months ago. Oliver wants it so he can create a team, a network of the deadliest people this country has to offer.” She turned to Lisa. “Don’t be mad at Cisco. He’s been sworn to secrecy and couldn’t have possibly told you or ARGUS and the CIA would have been knocking on his door.”

“That’s what Cisco has been developing?” Leonard wondered aloud. “Felicity told me to keep you and Oliver away from it – said she didn’t want you getting wind and creating your own version to compete.”

Sara laughed darkly. “No worries about that. Oliver doesn’t want a competition between companies; he wants to cut out all the hard work of developing it himself and just steal yours… and when he has it, feuds between Smoak Industries and Queen Consolidated will be resolved with methods a lot more dangerous than a couple of heated board meetings.” She stared down the Snart siblings. “I need your help to stop him. This is bigger than us and whatever fight we once had. This is going to affect the country. This is going to destroy Star City, Central City… everything and everyone you ever held dear is in danger.” She directed her gaze at Lisa who was still simmering. “Can you put aside a petty old war to stop a new one?”

Lisa sucked in a deep breath. She looked across at Leonard who seemed to be deep in thought. “We’re not doing it here. For all we know, this could still be a trap.” She prompted Leonard with a sharp elbow to his arm. “How do you know all this anyway?”

“Oliver got a copy of the list from one of his operatives on the inside of ARGUS, Roy Harper. But without the device, there’s no way of knowing who is on it or how to find them.” Sara sighed. “Look. All I need is your help to keep the device away from Oliver. We can’t destroy it because in the right hands, it could save the world. We just need to make sure Oliver never gets hold of it.” She took a deep breath. “And once we’ve done that… I’ll turn myself into the authorities. I’ll admit to all of my crimes, from here to Star City. You can even take me to the police station yourselves.” She let out a humourless laugh. “Captain Cold and the Golden Glider finally apprehend the Canary.”

Leonard frowned. Sara would be willing to turn herself in over this? Just six months ago she was begging to be set free, fearful of what might happen to her in prison. 

“I thought you were scared of going to prison?” He broached carefully, eyes gaging Lisa’s reaction as well as Sara’s.

“Believe me when I say that anything is better than living like this.” Sara responded, looking straight into his eyes. Her tone was serious, possibly the most serious he had ever heard her – she was truly scared.

Lisa didn’t seem so convinced. “If you hate working with Oliver or the Arrow so much, why did you go back to him?” She demanded, trying to find the hole in Sara’s story.

Sara looked worriedly at Leonard for a split second, then back to Lisa. She needed them to trust her, but stay detached enough in case something did happen to her – and knowing Oliver, if they succeeded in stopping him, something very well might. 

“I did love him.” She admitted, which wasn’t a lie. Years ago, a very broken Sara Lance thought that Oliver and the Arrow were the glue that put her back together, sealing up cracks. But it had turned out he was only duct tape – a temporary fix for something permanent she needed to create herself. “He can be very… persuasive.”

Leonard’s face was blank as he took in this information. Lisa scrutinised her for a moment then nodded.

“I’ll do it for my city. Not for you.” She said shortly. “We’ll meet at a neutral location tomorrow night.”

Sara winced. “Tomorrow is not so good…” She headed over to a small desk in the corner of the lair. A small laptop was running codes but she clicked through to reveal a set of blueprints. “Tomorrow night the Arrow and the Canary are going to be breaking into the Applied Sciences building of Smoak Industries to try find the device.” She hit a few buttons then pulled out a memory stick, offering it. “Here’s our plan. I suggest you advise Cisco to move the device to somewhere more secure. But don’t tell me where it is. I don’t want to know, in case…” She trailed off.

Lisa quirked an eyebrow. “In case?”

Sara hesitated.

“In case the Arrow thinks she’s involved and tortures it out of her.” Leonard supplied, his voice void of emotion. He tilted his head at Sara with the slightest trace of dark humour. “The way all men show their love.”

Sara met his gaze evenly, then stalked forward and pushed the memory stick into Lisa’s hands. “You guys need to stop us tomorrow night. Oliver still cares for me in his own twisted way.” She told her seriously, without a hint of self-confidence or smugness she might have shown if the situation was different. “If you hurt me, he’ll be more concerned about getting me out than finding the device. It’ll buy us a few days to figure out how to keep him away.” She finally softened a little, offering the other woman a self-deprecating smirk. “Think you can bring yourself to hit me, Lisa?”

Lisa gave her a tight smile, eyes narrowing. “See you tomorrow.”


	4. what's in love is now in debt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warnings for violence and mild sexy times. like really really mild. don't forget to comment! :)

Star City, September 2013

“Oh my god!” Sara tugged her mask off, breathing heavily as she paced the foundry. “That was… That was…” She turned to look at Oliver, who was watching her with a pleased smirk as he hung his bow and quiver in a glass case. “Right?”

Oliver laughed gently at her. “Exhilarating, isn’t it?”

“I didn’t know it could be so… And when the police were chasing us at the end… Wow…” Sara pressed her hands to her cheeks, trying to cool down the heated skin. The entire night had been a crazy experience, but having Oliver next to her, calm and collected, had been grounding. 

“So… do you think training with me would be something you’re interested in?” Oliver asked casually, although his eyes were sharply focused on her, stopping Sara in her tracks.

She licked her lips, and his eyes dropped down to watch the movement of her tongue. Her breath hitched. “Is training me something you’re interested in?” She responded slowly, biting her lower lip. She wasn’t stupid. She knew she was attractive and she knew he was attractive. It wouldn’t hurt to play on that.

“Among other things.” Oliver stalked forward, catching her waist as his mouth pressed against hers. 

Sara let out a small noise of surprise, but responded eagerly, parting her lips against his and making him pull her closer to him. Oliver walked her backwards, never taking his attention away from kissing her as he pressed up against the medical table in the centre of the room. He pulled away just long enough to grip under the thighs and lift her up onto it; she grabbed at the collar of his Arrow suit the second she got settled and dragged his lips back up to wear hers were waiting. 

With a deftness that didn’t even surprise her, he reached to the back of her suit and began unthreading the corset as his mouth travelled to her neck, sucking a bruise over her pulse. Sara dropped her head back with a groan as she wrapped her legs around his waist to urge him closer, until there wasn’t an inch of space between them.

-

Central City, November 2016

The day at work had been surprisingly uneventful. Leonard had barely seen Oliver, who had arrived in the morning with Sara in tow then disappeared into Felicity’s office for hours. Sara, meanwhile, had settled down with Kendra who he vaguely remembered she had been friendly with before and had chatted animatedly, her smile bright as though all the troubles she had told them of last night disappeared once she removed her Canary leathers.

He had to squeeze the arms of his desk chair until his knuckles turned white to stop himself from going out and joining their conversation, acting as though nothing had changed and she was still just the marketing executive from across the corridor. But he knew that he wouldn’t be able to pull it off; he’d never been great at lying about his bruises and scrapes, something the office had just grown to accept, but to smile and pretend like the six months had never happened would be impossible.

“So, is Mr Queen taking you to the New Tech Gala on Friday?” Kendra gushed, glancing over her shoulder at Leonard, who pretended he wasn’t listening. She leaned forward and lowered her voice. “He is so gorgeous. And I’ve seen the way he looks at you.”

Sara had blushed prettily, playing the coy assistant to a T. “Maybe. We haven’t actually been invited yet. We’ll probably have to be there together anyway for business reasons.”

“Uh huh.” Kendra had winked. “’Business’.”

Before lunch, Oliver had reappeared and he and Sara had left, leaving Leonard to stew in all sorts of uncomfortable emotions for the remainder of the day.

Sara and Oliver had once been together. Were they together now? Certainly when he saw them in their civilian guises they seemed cosy; Oliver had put his hand on Sara’s shoulder as she had been speaking to Kendra and his arm had once again been wrapped around her waist once again as they walked to the elevators. Or was it all just a pretence? Was Sara making Oliver think she loved him again in order to stop him getting suspicious of any relationship she still had with himself, Lisa and Mick? Oliver genuinely seemed to care about Sara, even Kendra had picked up on it, but was Sara’s answering affection real or invented?

It pissed him off that the world could supposedly be crashing down in the next few days, but he was worrying about Sara Lance’s love life.

The evening came swiftly; when he entered the lair, Mick was already there with his head buried in the blueprints from Sara.

“They’re casing the joint at midnight.” He told him as Leonard leaned over his shoulder to look. “West entrance, there’s a door where the alarm system is a bit faulty.” He gave him a wry glance. “Should really get Miss Smoak to check that.”

“She probably will anyway after this.” Leonard clapped Mick on the back. “Do you think these are real? That she’s not throwing us under the bus?”

Mick shrugged. “Looks pretty real to me, man. This plan is air tight.” He flipped a page over. “Won’t Queen know that is was Sara who gave you these plans? I mean, the memory stick was encrypted, but won’t he be suspicious that her old pals turn up to their super-secret break in?”

“Sara thinks he’ll be so concerned about her, he won’t make the connection.” Leonard replied, before glancing at the time. “I’m going to get changed. Let me know anything else you find.”

-

Sara’s intel turned out to be true. Lisa had rang Cisco and told him to move the device, promising to explain more later. Leonard and Lisa set up camp on the inside of the Applied Sciences building, Lisa at the front entrance and Leonard at the back, each with their gun trained on the door in case it was opened. Sara’s plan had mentioned that they were simply going to walk in, using the clearance passes Felicity had given them, then wiping the record later so there was no evidence of anyone entering or leaving the building – a perfect crime. Mick was in their ears, giving them updates on the plan in real time as best he could from the lair.

Leonard had been stood at guard for half an hour when the door beeped and cranked open. The light from outside silhouetted Sara and the Arrow for a moment, before they both leapt into action at the sight of him. 

“I’ve got him.” Came the modulated voice from under the hood, but Sara moved first.

“No. He’s mine.” She snarled.

Leonard aimed slightly above her and shot, trying to make it look like he was intending to hit her without actually doing so. Sara, on the other hand, didn’t afford him such courtesies.

Her bo staff snapped open in her hand a second before she swung it to knock the cold gun away from him. He didn’t have a second to react before it came whirling back, smacking him in the stomach and winding him completely.

“Lenny?” Lisa’s voice shouted in his ear as he groaned. “I’m on my way!”

Sara dodged the half-hearted punch he sent her way, ducking down and send her leg out to catch his ankles and knock him off balance. A foot to the gut sent him dropping to his knees. Sara leant over him, using a handful of his hood to pull his face back. He gasped in a wheezing breath and met her eyes behind her mask.

She was looking down at him with a pained expression.

“Why are you doing this?” He coughed out, loud enough for Oliver to hear.

“Because you deserve it.” Sara declared equally as loudly, although the malicious tone didn’t match the apologetic look in her eyes. “Sorry about this.” She whispered, then clubbed him across the back of the head.

“Huh.” The Arrow crossed over as Sara released Leonard, letting him drop to the floor. She knew he wasn’t unconscious, but luckily he had the good sense to at least act it. “Maybe you aren’t as fond of him as I thought.”

“I told you, I was just passing the time until I could back to you. You can’t blame me for having a little fun on those long, lonely nights…” Sara responded, not missing a beat. His gloved hand slid into her hair and she allowed herself to be pulled forward to meet Oliver’s mouth, her stomach twisting at the thought of doing this with Leonard lying right beside her.

Leonard wasn’t really loving it either, closing his eyes against the sight and praying Lisa turned up soon. 

“Hey!” A shout from behind made Sara and Oliver pull apart to see Lisa stood with her gun trained on them both.

The irony that Sara had witnessed the exact same picture but with Leonard holding her the night before did not go unmissed by either of them. 

“Oh look,” Sara sneered. “It’s half-pint.” She turned to Oliver with a sweet smile, stroking down the leather of his Arrow suit. “Can I have her too?”

The Arrow laughed, the sound strange with the modulated effect on his voice. “So greedy.” He teased. “Go ahead.” 

Sara ran towards Lisa, but the other woman sent out a blast of molten gold at her bo staff, sending it flying out of her hand. It was too late to stop so Sara kept going, leaping up to kick out at Lisa. Lisa dropped her gun and used both hands to block, grabbing Sara’s foot and pushing away so she ended up on the floor. She used the momentum and rolled, coming back only to be caught in the mouth by a strong punch. 

Sara staggered back, licking the blood from her lower lip in surprise. Lisa’s expression gave nothing away as she glared. Then she sprang forward, swinging her fist in a cross that caught Sara squarely on the cheek, sending her reeling.

Leonard, one eye half open to keep an eye on the fight, decided it was time to bring it to an end. Faking coming to, he groaned theatrically to get Lisa’s attention to come tend to him – hopefully leaving Oliver to rush for Sara and get them both out while the siblings were distracted.

Lisa ignored him.

She kicked Sara’s legs out from underneath her so she landed in a thud, the air whooshing out of her lungs as her back hit the floor. She groaned as Lisa sat on her thighs and threw punch after punch at Sara’s face; Sara was too surprised to react, or perhaps felt a little like she deserved the anger Lisa was clearly taking out on her.

An arrow whistled past, nearly brushing Lisa’s cheek with her proximity. She looked up, shocked, to see Oliver with another arrow ready to fly.

“Next one goes in your heart.” He said darkly, the modulated voice sounding terrifying. 

Lisa scrambled to her feet, leaving Sara whimpering slightly on the floor. She darted over to Leonard, collecting both guns and helped her brother to his feet. In a few moments, they were gone and Oliver dropped the arrow and rushed to Sara’s side.

-

At a little after five in the morning, the lair door opened. Leonard shot out of the armchair he had been dozing in to find Mick already stood with his gun aimed at the door. Lisa took a moment to come round but soon joined them, fists clenched.

“Hey.” Sara raised her hands as she strolled in. “I surrender?” She looked tired, with a deep bruise blossoming on her cheekbone and her lip split from where Lisa had hit her. “Jeez, I snuck out of my hotel like a teenager for you guys and this is the welcome I get.”

“Are you okay?” Leonard asked before he could stop himself.

Sara glanced at him and nodded briefly. “Oliver didn’t question you guys being there. He was too busy fussing over me to make the link.” She eyed Lisa. “Your right hook has gotten better, by the way.”

Lisa shot her a dirty look. “I think we need a situation clarifier.” 

“Oliver knows who you are and knows who we are and knows that we know who you are and you know who we are, but not that we know who he is.” Mick said slowly. “But Oliver now thanks to your little show tonight, Oliver thinks you and Leonard and Lisa hate each other?

Sara blinked. “Yes. I think.”

“And you’re dating Oliver to make him think that you don’t care about Leonard, but Oliver genuinely does care for you even though he’d be willing to kill you if it turned out you were double crossing him?”

She swallowed hard, more sure on this answer than the last one. “Yes.”

“Jesus, when did it become so complicated?” Mick slumped back, looking at the computer screens but not really seeing them.

“I think that would be around the time that my best friend and the girl Lenny was crushing on turned out to be the thief that we had been chasing for two years with a psycho boyfriend who wants to destroy the world by creating a gang of drug lords, crooked politicians and dirty cops.” Lisa remarked matter of factly. “How’s that for a situation clarifier?”

“Lisa…” Leonard sighed.

Sara snorted. “It’s fine.” She said shortly. “My psycho boyfriend is planning on taking the device before it’s unveiled at the New Tech Gala on Friday. It’s one of the projects they’re planning to unveil and copyright on the night. He managed to get that much out of Felicity this morning in their meeting.” She took a deep breath and turned to direct her words at Leonard. “Do you have something I can punch?” She asked and he noticed how her hands were balling up at her sides.

“Punching bag in the basement.” He nodded to the door, knowing there was nothing she could use against them down there even as Lisa gave him a scandalized look. She nodded sharply and brushed past his sister to head down the steps.

Mick swung in his desk chair, tapping his chin thoughtfully. “The New Tech Gala… That gives me an idea…”

-

Leonard headed down the basement steps to be greeted with the ground of Sara’s grunts as she pummelled the punching bag that swung from the ceiling. He paused at the bottom, admiring her technique as she threw herself at the bag, sweaty strands of hair sticking to her forehead.

“Are you all right?” He asked after a moment. “I… was worried about you.”

“Why?” Sara said harshly just as a right jab sent the bag jangling.

“I didn’t know if Oliver might make the connection between you and us being there tonight.” Leonard admitted. “It was too risky for us to intercept you. I don’t think we should do it again.”

Sara shrugged. “You got a better plan?”

“Actually, we do.” Leonard crossed over and held the bag still for her. She eyed him warily for a second before resuming her punching, Leonard absorbing the shock so the bag stayed where it was. “You don’t have to date him to protect me.”

Sara didn’t even look at him. “Yes, I do.” She said quietly and he wasn’t sure if she was saying it for him or herself. "Besides, it's too late now. It's not like I can just break up with him, is it?"

They stood in silence for a while as Sara took her frustration out on the punch bag. Leonard took the opportunity to look at her carefully; she had barely changed in six months, her hair a little longer and her face a little thinner maybe, but nothing drastic. Her face was slightly pink from the exertion of fighting against the bag, dewy sweat spread across her forehead which was slowly beginning to unknit from the harsh frown she’d begun with.

“I bet you bring all the girls to the basement.” Sara muttered half-heartedly, swinging for the bag again. He smiled a little at her attempt to make peace.

“Yeah, but you’re the only one I tied up down here.” He retorted. She looked up at him in unexpected delight, a soft smile manifesting on her face at his response and he felt an overwhelming desire to push the bag out of the way and kiss her. 

“Well, that is good news.” She smirked.

He shook his head. “The real good news is we know how to stop Oliver from getting hold of Cisco’s device.”

Sara finally stepped away from the bag, brushing the hair from her face. She looked at him curiously. “How?”

“We’re going to steal it first.”


	5. standing still

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this is not a massively exciting chapter, but there's lots of important information and next chapter is the gala!! ooh captain canary all dressed up in a tense environment where they have to sneak around... what could possibly go wrong? also we are officially over half way through this fic! (and there may or may not be a third instalment planned...)
> 
> as always, please enjoy and drop a review - i love hearing what you liked and what you think could be better!

Central City, January 2015

Lisa had triple dared him, like the child she was, to ask Sara out on a date. To stop his ‘pining’. Not that he pined. He definitely did not, and especially not over Sara Lance.

But everyone knew you couldn’t back down from a triple dare.

So that’s how he found himself stood in the doorway to Sara’s office, lightly knocking. She didn’t even look up from her computer screen, typing away at an impressive speed with her eyes glued to her work. After a moment she blindly reached for a pen, grabbed it, and began chewing on the end.

“Yes, Leonard, I am aware you’re there.” She said after he waited a few moments too long to speak.

He snorted, then took a deep breath. “Would you like to go for coffee?”

Sara narrowed her eyes at her screen, pointing her pen at whatever offending piece of work she was reading. “Huh?”

“I said… Coffee.” Leonard attempted again over the clatter of her keyboard.

Sara groaned in delight. “Oh, yeah! Latte with an extra espresso shot, I’ve got to get through all this before my date tonight. Thanks, Lenny!”

“Stop calling me that. I hate Lisa…” Leonard complained reflexively, then paused. “Wait… date?”

Sara barely glanced up from her furious typing. “Mmhmm. Carter from Human Resources asked me to go for a drink.” She scribbled something down then put the pen in between her teeth, talking around it. “I mean – he’s not exactly the most interesting person, but I haven’t been on a date since my ex so… It can’t hurt right?” She finally looked up at him, expectantly. “What?”

Leonard realised he was frowning down at her and quickly rearranged his features into a more neutral expression. “Nothing, nothing. Extra espresso shot. Got it.”

Sara smiled warmly at him. “Thanks, Leonard. You’re the best.”

Well. That ended that little charade. Now he could tell Lisa that Sara wasn’t interested in dating him, just as he wasn’t her. Good. Sorted.

-

Central City, November 2016

Leonard watched through the open door of his office as Felicity swarmed Oliver and Sara the second they got out of the elevator, ignoring the former completely to fret over the latter. Sara’s bruises, courtesy of Lisa, had turned a deep purple over the course of the night, almost black at the centre. 

“Oh, you poor thing!” She took Sara’s arm, pulling her into her office. “Your poor face! You really shouldn’t have come in today; you should be at home resting!”

Leonard pushed back from his desk slowly, trying to give off the impression of concerned co-worker. The triple lives he was living – Sara’s friend at work, enemy on the streets and ally in crime – were starting to get a little overwhelming. He knew Felicity would be a bit curious that he hadn’t rushed to see if Sara was all right considering their friendship when she previously worked here had been well known, but he knew if he was too caring in front of Oliver, the other man would get suspicious since he thought Leonard and Sara were sworn to fight each other. Just thinking about it made his head ache, so he leaned in the frame of his doorway, enough distance to make Oliver think it was nonchalant, but Felicity that he was concerned but knew there was a workplace boundary.

Sara smiled, then winced when it pulled at her split lip, which only made Felicity fuss more. 

“I’m fine, really. I wanted to keep distracted today. See… everyone…” She glanced towards Leonard then quickly back, offering Felicity a smaller smile to prevent hurting her lip again.

Leonard was impressed with her tactics – to Felicity that look towards him would have seemed like shyness, but to Oliver it could’ve been fear. Once again, he reminded himself not to underestimate Sara Lance in any department.

“To get mugged…” Felicity shook her head sympathetically. “When the city has been so safe recently, especially with all the vigilantes helping out-“

“Luckily, I was there.” Oliver cut in, finally interrupting the two women to put his hand on the small of Sara’s back.

Felicity positively melted as Sara turned to gaze lovingly up at Oliver. “My hero.”

Taking advantage of them having their backs to him, Leonard rolled his eyes and pushed his office door shut. That was enough of that.

-

A soft knock came at his door a few hours later, announcing Sara’s arrival before she stepped in. She was in full-on professional mode, tablet tucked under her arm.   
“Miss Smoak would like to see you and Mr Queen in her office in half an hour.” She announced smartly, before offering him a slightly hesitant smile. “Also… coffee run. Cappuccino over ice?”

Leonard wrinkled his nose slightly – she’d always bought him that when it was her turn to get them coffee. Since she’d left town, he’d been drinking less coffee in general, but always avoided that. It seemed silly, but avoiding the small things that reminded him of her like coffee and her office, made the bigger things like continuing his work as Captain Cold easier to do.

“Actually, can I get an Americano? Milk on the side.”

Sara stared at him like he’d asked her to rob a bank.

“Sara.” He raised his eyebrows at her. “It’s just a coffee order.”

She let out a small laugh, before nodding and slipping out of the room.

-

Half an hour later, he was sat in front of Felicity’s desk with Oliver in the seat parallel to him as his boss began to outline the events of Friday night.

“So, the Gala is very important to us because we’re going to be unveiling some of our new projects and technology during it.” Felicity’s excitement was brimming over her professional façade; she was practically bouncing in her seat as she detailed the event. It brought a smile to Leonard’s face to see her talk about her business and the passion she had for it. “Including a rather special project being run by our extremely talented Mr Cisco Ramon which I can’t reveal too much about, but it will be our first venture into more humanitarian areas rather than purely business based technology.”

Leonard nodded as if this was all news to him, having to keep up appearances not only to avert Oliver’s suspicions, but to make sure Felicity believed this was the first time he was hearing this information. He could feel the other man’s gaze burning into the side of his face but ignored it purposefully, focusing fully on Felicity.

“We’re keeping it absolutely top priority confidentiality because of a break in last night – luckily we had moved the project thanks to an anonymous tip. We can’t stress enough the importance of this project for Smoak Industries and the world.” Felicity smiled cheekily at Oliver. “I hope Queen Consolidated will forgive us for not letting them in on the action.”

Oliver offered a charming smile. “I’m sure we can, what with your generosity with other developments, which we are still on track to announce at the Gala, yes?”

Felicity nodded enthusiastically. “Absolutely, the Queen-Smoak partnership will be officially announced to the media following the reveal of the new projects. Are we agreed?”

“Of course.”

“Great!” Felicity grinned at the two men before her. “Well, that’s everything I need form you gentleman.”

As they both got up to leave, Felicity piped up again. “Actually, Mr Snart, could I borrow you for just a moment? We’re having an issue with marketing and they’re in your department…”

Leonard frowned. His team had been working like clockwork since he took over, so he couldn’t imagine what there could possibly be a problem with. “Sure…” He slowly sat back down as Oliver hesitated in the doorway of Felicity’s office before bowing out.

Felicity purposefully waited until the door had shut firmly behind Oliver before leaning forward and talking in a low voice. “Top priority confidentiality, Leonard. Understand?”

“What – I mean, yes?” Leonard was baffled as his brain rewound the conversation. 

“Good.” Felicity smiled. “I’m trusting you with this information because I want you to handle the unveiling of the new project. Only three people are going to know its location on Friday night – you, Cisco Ramon and me. You will be responsible for getting the project from it’s location and bringing it to the main ballroom with Cisco in time for the unveiling. Still with me?”

Leonard nodded.

“No one from Queen Consolidated can know – not Oliver, not Sara.” She looked at him pointedly when she said the last name. “Absolutely no one. If Queen Consolidated find out anything on this project, they’ll want to muscle in and we want Smoak all over this.” Satisfied that Leonard was on the same page, she smiled. “Now, the project will be arriving after the gala starts…”

-

Sara was outside Felicity’s door when he came out.

“Oliver took Diggle and Kendra for a coffee. They’re all buddies now.” She sarcastically explained. “I’m eavesdropping on you for him.”

Leonard raised an eyebrow at her. “Oh? And what did you hear?”

Even with the purple markings across her face, Sara’s smirk still sent a little jolt down Leonard’s spine. “Hardly anything. Something about a room… Near the roof?” She gave a mock frown, tapping her finger to her lips in fake thoughtfulness. “Or was it in the next building over? Gosh if only those bugs we planted in Felicity’s office hadn’t malfunctioned. We really should get ourselves a tech guy.”

Leonard rolled his eyes fondly as he crossed the hallway to his office. “Or girl.” He called over his shoulder.

“Hmm, maybe Oliver’s sister could help. Family vigilantism is big in this city, right?” Sara teased.

“I have heard that somewhere…” 

Leonard paused in his doorway to continue their banter, but at that moment the elevator chimed out its arrival and unloaded Kendra, Diggle and Oliver, all chatting animatedly between themselves. Leonard noticed Sara’s eyes darken a little as she realised their moment had been interrupted, but she quickly plastered on a smile as Leonard broke away from the pair of secretaries and headed over to kiss her on the cheek – probably asking if she heard anything while he was there.

Sara’s eyes met Leonard’s, their moment of normalcy broken for good. She was only across the hall, but she felt, as she so often did, a million miles away.

-

It had been a quiet night on the streets, so Lisa and Leonard had called it a night. Mick had opted to stay out on patrol just in case, promising he’d get in touch if necessary. After they’d changed out of their vigilante outfits, they reconvened in the lair to run over the plan for the gala – one made much easier by the fact Leonard would now be partially in charge of the project he was actually intending to steal.

“Remind me why we can’t just ask Cisco to give us the device for safekeeping?”

Leonard sighed. “Since Cisco is the only person working on the project right now, all the blame would go to him and he’d probably lose his job. But if it disappears during a busy party celebrating Smoak Industries’ new technology then there’s thousands of suspects.” He shrugged. “Then we can resurface the project the next day before Felicity has chance to fire me or Cisco.” 

“We’ve just got to make sure it’s us that steals it, and not the Canary-Arrow crew.” Lisa tilted her head in acknowledgement. “Will Sara be safe from Oliver?”

“You care?” Leonard raised his eyebrows at her.

She rolled her eyes. “About you. And I saw the look on your face when all she had was a – might I say well deserved – bruised face. I don’t want you torturing yourself over her if she gets hurt.”

“We’ll deal with Sara and Oliver after we know for sure that the device is out of his hands.”


End file.
